The General Affairs Council adopted the Conclusions on enlargement and stabilisation and association process on 14 December.

The Council reaffirmed the strong support of the EU for taking the enlargement process forward on the basis of the agreed principles and conclusions.

Enlargement serves as a key driver for political and economic reform, and moves forward at a pace which is largely determined by the candidate countries and potential candidates compliance with the Copenhagen criteria and their proven ability to take on the obligations of membership